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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Vatican
City, 5 September 2013 (VIS) - “Through you, I greet a Church that
was founded upon the witness, even to martyrdom, that Saint Thomas
gave to Our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostolic fraternity which united
the first disciples in their service of the Gospel, today also unites
our Churches, notwithstanding the many divisions that have arisen in
the sometimes sad course of history, divisions which, thanks be to
God, we are endeavouring to overcome in obedience to Lord’s will
and desire”.

With
these words, Pope Francis received His Holiness Baselios Marthoma
Paulose II, Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of
India, who fronts a delegation visiting Rome in these days in order
to pray before the tomb of St. Peter, part of a longer trip in
Europe. The Pope retraced the history of the relations between
Catholics and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church over the last
thirty years, recalling that from these encounters there “began a
concrete path of dialogue with the institution of a mixed commission,
which brought to birth the agreement of 1990, on the day of
Pentecost, a commission which continues its important work and which
has brought us to significant steps on themes such as the common use
of buildings of worship and cemeteries, the mutual concession of
spiritual and even liturgical resources in specific pastoral
situations, and the necessity to identify new forms of collaboration
when faced with growing social and religious challenges”.

“I
wanted to recall some of the steps in these 30 years of the growing
closeness between us, because I believe that on the ecumenical path
it is important to look with trust to the steps that have been
completed, overcoming prejudices and closed attitudes which are part
of a kind of 'culture of clashes' and source of division, and giving
way to a 'culture of encounter', which educates us in mutual
understanding and in working towards unity. Alone however, this is
impossible; our weaknesses and poverty slow the progress. For this
reason, it is important to intensify our prayer. ... Prayer and
commitment in order to let relationships of friendship and
co-operation grow at various levels, in the clergy, among the
faithful, and among the various churches born from the witness given
by St Thomas. May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten us and guide
us towards reconciliation and harmony, overcoming all causes of
division and rivalry which have marked our past”.

Vatican
City, 5 September 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis has sent a message to
the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, who will
preside over the forthcoming meeting of the G20 group representing
the world's largest economies.

“In
today’s highly interdependent context, a global financial framework
with its own just and clear rules is required in order to achieve a
more equitable and fraternal world, in which it is possible to
overcome hunger, ensure decent employment and housing for all, as
well as essential healthcare. Your presidency of the G20 this year
has committed itself to consolidating the reform of the international
financial organizations and to achieving a consensus on financial
standards suited to today’s circumstances. However, the world
economy will only develop if it allows a dignified way of life for
all human beings, from the eldest to the unborn child, not just for
citizens of the G20 member states but for every inhabitant of the
earth, even those in extreme social situations or in the remotest
places.

“From
this standpoint, it is clear that, for the world’s peoples, armed
conflicts are always a deliberate negation of international harmony,
and create profound divisions and deep wounds which require many
years to heal. Wars are a concrete refusal to pursue the great
economic and social goals that the international community has set
itself, as seen, for example, in the Millennium Development Goals.
Unfortunately, the many armed conflicts which continue to afflict the
world today present us daily with dramatic images of misery, hunger,
illness and death. Without peace, there can be no form of economic
development. Violence never begets peace, the necessary condition
for development.

“The
meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the twenty most
powerful economies, with two-thirds of the world’s population and
ninety per cent of global GDP, does not have international security
as its principal purpose. Nevertheless, the meeting will surely not
forget the situation in the Middle East and particularly in Syria. It
is regrettable that, from the very beginning of the conflict in
Syria, one-sided interests have prevailed and in fact hindered the
search for a solution that would have avoided the senseless massacre
now unfolding. The leaders of the G20 cannot remain indifferent to
the dramatic situation of the beloved Syrian people which has lasted
far too long, and even risks bringing greater suffering to a region
bitterly tested by strife and needful of peace. To the leaders
present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to
help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside
the futile pursuit of a military solution. Rather, let there be a
renewed commitment to seek, with courage and determination, a
peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation of the parties,
unanimously supported by the international community. Moreover, all
governments have the moral duty to do everything possible to ensure
humanitarian assistance to those suffering because of the conflict,
both within and beyond the country’s borders”.

The
Pope concluded by assuring his prayers for the successful outcome of
the G20's work and asked the president to pray for him.

Vatican
City, 5 September 2013 (VIS) The Holy Father Francis sent a message
to Fr. Fernando Millan Romeral, Prior General of the Order of
Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, on the occasion
of the celebration of the General Chapter.

Francis
offered some words of encouragement and hope to all the members of
the Order and suggested three elements that may guide them “in the
full realisation” of their vocation: “allegiance to Christ,
prayer and mission”.

The
Pope said that in a world that often misinterprets Christ and indeed
rejects Him, they are invited to draw nearer to and unite more
closely with Him. “It is a continuous call to follow Christ and to
abide by him. This is of vital importance in our disorientated world,
'for once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to
dim'”.

Speaking
of prayer, the Pope emphasised that a Carmelite without a
contemplative life was like a dead body. “Now more than ever is the
moment to rediscover the inner pathway of love through prayer, and to
offer to the people of today in the witness of contemplation, as
through preaching and mission, not easy solutions, but the wisdom
that emerges from meditating “day and night the Law of the Lord”,
the Word that always leads to the glorious Cross of Christ. And,
united with contemplation, austerity in life, which is not a
secondary aspect of your life and your witness”. Likewise the
Pontiff mentioned that there is a strong temptation to fall into the
trap of spiritual worldliness, and he encouraged them to aspire to a
more austere and penitent life, according to the authentic ancient
Carmelite tradition.

“Yours
is the same mission as that of Jesus”, he continued. “Today, the
mission poses sometimes arduous challenges, as the evangelical
mission is not always welcomed and indeed is at times rejected with
violence. We must not forget that, even if we are thrown into murky
and uncharted waters, He Who calls us to His mission also gives us
the courage and the strength to carry it out”.

Finally,
Francis remarked, “The witness of your love and your hope, rooted
in profound friendship with living God, is like a 'gentle breeze'
that renews and reinvigorates your ecclesial mission in today's
world”.

Vatican
City, 5 September 2013 (VIS) – On 13 September, vigil of the Feast
of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Pope Francis will receive in
audience three thousand Dames and Knights of the Equestrian Order of
the Holy Sepulchre, on a pilgrimage to Rome on the occasion of the
Year of Faith. They will be accompanied by the American Cardinal
Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Order, and the pilgrimage will be
preceded by an important event, the Consulta, which is convoked every
five years.

The
Order, of medieval origin and reconstituted by Blessed Pope Pius IX
in 1847, seeks to promote the spiritual growth of its members and to
support the Catholic Church in the Holy land, in its broadest sense
(Cyprus, Israel, the Palestinian Territory and Jordan). It has 30,000
members in 35 nations, organised in the form of Lieutenancies and
Delegations. Their commitment to the Church is accompanied by the
important financial support they provide, essentially destined for
the institutions and works of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
For example, their donations during the last decade totalled almost
100 million dollars, and were used for the construction and
restoration of churches, schools and hospitals, or the support of
artisanal and family businesses.

In
a press conference held in the Holy See Press Office this morning,
the programme of events accompanying the pilgrimage was presented by
Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization and Professors
Agostino Borromeo, governor general of the Order of the Holy
Sepulchre, and Ivan Rebernik, chancellor of the Order.

Cardinal
O'Brien, after offering a profile of the Order, recalled that the
members are “volunteers who, as such, receive no remuneration for
their work but rather, on the contrary, are obliged to give an annual
contribution to finance their charitable activities”, and
emphasised that during recent years the Order has promoted various
initiatives such as granting microcredit to small family businesses
and offering study bursaries, aimed at fostering better conditions of
life for Christians to encourage them not to leave their land of
origin”.

Archbishop
Fisichella remarked that the pilgrimage to Rome constitutes an
effective witness to faith inasmuch as it is the visible sign of
direct commitment to practical peace-building, especially in those
lands and among the many poor and innocent who, especially at the
present moment, are living in a situation of extraordinary tension
and fear due to the violence that looms over them and over the entire
world. … Faith does not distance itself from the responsibilities
that we are all called upon to assume in relation to the world at
large in our times, but on the contrary provokes and induces concrete
commitment to constructing a better society”.

Professor
Borromeo referred to the 2013 Consulta, which opens on 10 September
and lasts three days and will be attended by members of the Grand
Magisterium, the Lieutenancies and the Delegations of the 35
countries, representatives of the Secretary of States and the
Congregation for the Eastern Churches, will focus on the theme of the
revision of the Statute. “The current text, in its overall form and
in certain specific norms, no longer corresponds to the ecclesiology
that has developed following Vatican Council II and to the
sensibility of our times. The new draft text aims … to develop more
organically the spiritual commitment of the members, to more deeply
root the action of the 'peripheral structures' (the Lieutenancies and
Delegations) in the life of the local Churches, and to extend the
charitable activities of the Order to a broader area of the Middle
East than that in which it currently operates”.

“The
development of the work will lead to a new draft Statute which the
Cardinal Grand Master will submit to the Supreme Pontiff for
approval”, he concluded.

Finally,
Professor Rebernik confirmed that as well as the liturgical
celebrations in various churches in the centre of Rome and in the
Papal Basilicas scheduled during those days, a conference will be
held by the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New
Evangelization in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, and a concert will take
place in the papal Basilica of St. John Lateran. The concluding Holy
Mass will be celebrated in the papal Basilica of St. Paul
Outside-the-Walls.

-
appointed Msrg. Laurent Le Boulc'h of the clergy of Saint-Brieuc as
bishop of Coutances et Avranches, (area 5,991, population 503,700,
Catholics 410,200, priests 192, permanent deacons 39, religious 355),
France. The bishop-elect was born in Loudeac, France in 1960 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from
the Institut Catholique of Paris, and has served in the following
pastoral roles: vicar of the cathedral of Saint-Brieuc, episcopal
vicar for the pastoral care of the young, and head of continuing
formation, and from 2005, parish priest of Lannion, where he was also
head of pastoral care of Catholic schools.